Beyond the Walls
by ShiningHopeBeast
Summary: What if all you've ever known was suddenly changed? What if you finally saw the truth after only knowing the lie? What lies behind the walls that have always been there? When her world is not what it seems to be, a lonely girl seeks answers from a world she does not know, finding herself in a little place called the Community. (AU) (BBRae)
1. To Every Thing There is a Season

Quick A/N: I have had this idea for a while, and I decided to try it out.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC character. Plus, weapon ideas come from The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan. And I did not come up with the words for the titles.

Enjoy!

. . .

Chapter One: To Every Thing There is a Season

Wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, smothered by the thick, black smoke plaguing the air, she laid, helpless, as the world pressed in around her. Ash rained down from the sky, the water from the lively stream nearby turning into boiling steam that would make her skin melt on contact.

Trapped by the flaming chunks of buildings around her, she had fallen, her legs caught under a heavy tree limb, which had descended down on her out of nowhere.

As her eyes flickered about her erratically, she failed to notice the bright glow of the approaching inferno. The heat did not seem to increase to her already abused nerves; the fire's blaze had already scorched her pale skin.

The flames began to lick at her, lighting her clothing and singing her hair. With a wordless scream, crying in agony-

She woke up screaming, her skin shiny with sweat and her face flushed, damp, and salty. In the night she had rolled over and had almost crushed the small pouch strapped to her side. She opened it, clutching its precious contents to her chest.

She calmed down slowly, her breaths easing into a steady pace. Looking at the woods around her, she scanned the area, wary of strangers. Once she was satisfied with her scouting, she turned her attention to her supplies.

Before resting, she had packed up all of her belongings except for her sleek knife, which always stayed with her. Unlike a normal, cutting knife, her blade was expertly crafted, made of sturdy and lightweight metal with a silver-blue tint, which was mined from the Lntrgwar* caverns. It had been smithed into a graceful curve, with its hilt composed of smooth, strong leather. The shape of the blade was strange but just right for its purpose. Both simple and made with finesse, it made a wonderful throwing weapon, specially crafted for weight, speed, and balance. From spending years training with these weapons in secret, she could even use them in hand to hand combat, able to effectively block swords with them.

Along with this knife, she had a second knife, slightly different in structure and build, but of mostly the same design. Its uses were mostly the same, but each knife had unique properties.

Additionally, she carried a recurve bow in her backpack, its shape giving her extra power to make up for her lack of expertise. She rarely used the bow, but had learned to in case of emergency.

Checking her provisions, she figured she would have at the most a day's worth of food left. After that, she would be forced to forage for sustenance among the forest plants. Luckily, she still had plenty of water left, in the sturdy flask resting on her hip, opposite of the double scabbard holding her knives, which was just below the special pouch she wore. For a moment, she considered rationing herself further. Eventually, she decided that it wouldn't be worth it, as it wouldn't give her enough energy to continue far.

She knew she would have to move camp immediately. Although she was pretty sure no one had heard her, she could never be 100% sure that she was still safe there. Even so, she was reluctant to leave that spot, because it seemed so safe and hidden.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulders and closing up her pouch, she made sure to erase as many traces as she could of her presence there. During the night, she had done her best to light as small a fire as possible, which would leave traces of ash and smoke, and touch as little as possible. Now she swept a blanket of dry leaves over the remaining charred wood, the embers long having burnt out, and smoothed the dirt that she had disturbed in the night. Doing her best to leave few footprints, she began to head out of the tiny clearing.

Suddenly, a branch _CRACK_!ed behind her. Whirling around, her hands instinctively drew her knives. Standing still, she scanned the tree line on the far side of the small open area.

There! A streak of movement. Well, rather, not the person- or thing- itself, but what it moved, like the tree's branch swaying so slightly, or the slightest twitch of the bush's leaves.

And a voice. "Come out. I know you're there." Definitely a male. From what she could tell, it was probably someone roughly her age.

She held her breath, not moving save for her eyes, flicking her gaze back and forth to look out for the attacker. If she moved even the slightest bit, it would surely give away her position.

"I don't want to have to hurt you, you know," the attacker attempted to reassure her. The voice sounded nearer, but she could always be imagining it.

In her head, she snorted with doubt. _Yeah, right. You'll hurt me_.

Then, a sharp, cold sensation blossomed on her neck. Without turning her head, she asked in a level voice, "You think that you've got me, don't you?"

As quick as a predator lunging at its prey, she struck backward and hit them with the hilt of one of her knives. As the cold withdrew from her neck and her attacker doubled over in pain, she sprang away, moving as quickly and quietly as she could go.

"That'll show him to mess with me," she muttered inaudibly as she glided through the shadows of the forest.

However, she felt herself falter. Her movements became sluggish and her mind began to cloud over as it became increasingly harder and harder to breathe. Soon she was on her knees, gasping for breath. Her head swam, her vision blurred, and her heart pounded twice as fast. Groaning, she clutched her head.

 _Stupid, stupid, I should have known that-_

Then _he_ was standing in front of her, smirking, arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't think I've got you, I _know_ I've got you," he gloated. Leaning closer, he stated, "You've been bitten by the deadly Xielk* snake. Only I have the antidote. I'll give it to you, but only if you come with me to our community and answer some questions for us." When she didn't answer, he continued, "Or I can leave you to die here in the forest. It's your choice." He began to walk away.

The only sound she could make was an (undignified) whimper of pleading and began to reach out with a shaky hand before she passed out on the cold, hard forest floor.

. . .

"TODAY IS THE DAY WHEN OUR MASTER TAKES HIS BRIDE!" A strong, tall man stood on the stage, high above the people so his shouts would carry over all of them. The crowd cheered in anticipation. The roar was broad and mighty, but a tinge of fear hovered at the edge of it.

"THE SPECIAL ONE CHOSEN IS-" He peered at a piece of paper before continuing- "LEWKKL* FROM THE AREA OF LMLELRG*!"

The aforementioned young woman gasped, and now realized why she had been specially noticed by the guards when she arrived at the ceremony. Urged on by the people closest to her, she slipped through the crowd and made the nervous ascent onto the stage. Her legs trembled and her knees threatened to give out as she came to stand in front of everyone, thousands of people watching the tiny speck that was her.

"NOW WELCOME OUR GREAT MASTER, TR-" A nearby servant rushed up and whispered in the man's ear to correct him. "I MEAN, OUR GREAT MASTER, SCATH!"

The applause was thunderous, louder than the cheers that had come earlier. But the fearful air atmosphere grew stronger, and a stranger watching the ceremony would think that the people did not adore their master at all.

Through the doorway at the back of the stage, a looming shadow slowly made its way to the center of the platform. Each step was slow and deliberate and seemed to shake the earth's foundations themselves. Finally, the figure entered into the light, and his appearance was made clear.

His hair was long, and a deep, dark color. His skin was toned and even, his muscles strong and bulky. He carried himself with an air of confidence, his expression not too far from being sinister. What he wore no one would remember, but the fire in his eyes they would. Anyone could tell that he was daringly handsome, yet doubly intimidating. The young woman felt herself nearly melting before him, overwhelmed both by his beauty and the fear that he caused.

"NOW IS THE TIME!" he boomed in a deep voice, his cold, ebony eyes flashing with dangerous light. "I HAVE WAITED LONG ENOUGH FOR THIS TIME." Even though he stopped shouting, his words resounded in the hearts of the crowd. His eyes commanded full attention as he towered over the young woman beside him.

"In the first season, we mourned the loss of those whose time has come! We grieved for those who left us during the previous year, yet came to accept their sacrifice for my Domain. We showed utmost respect to those who have given their lives for the sake of the greater.

"In the second season, we celebrated the harvest! Every village gave the firstfruits of their livestock and their produce, and we enjoyed to prosperity within my Domain. The toil during the previous seasons bore fruit as we collected in preparation for the time to come.

"In the third season, we enjoyed our lives and were merry! We made use of the harvest from the season before. We had no worries, no pressure to fulfill the responsibilities of each day. Each man worked for himself alone, and all cast away their sorrows in exchange for happiness.

"But now, we rejoice in the time of new beginnings! We know that everything will come anew, whether it be harvest, life, or-" He turned his gaze to the young woman, his eyes boring holes into her soul. "-love."

. . .

* These are names I made up using an original code called the K-B code. Can you guess how it works? (Hint: in English, it would be the Coral snake).

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it. Do you have any suggestions or critiques?

Please review, flames are okay, and tell me what you think!

ITNOJ- SHB 😉


	2. A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven

Quick A/N: First, a shout out to HanyoSoul and Fikri B. M for reviewing! I appreciate the support.

So, to recap, our girl has passed out. On the forest floor. Because of some strange guy. Great!

Additionally, there was some sort of ceremony thingy about a bride and a master and love or something. Also awesome!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Teen Titans or any DC character, or weapons ideas, or title phrases, or place name ideas, or anything else that isn't mine (eg. the Great Wall of China, the United States of America, the sun, etc.). Only my ideas are mine. (Duh). Including the names made up by means of my KB code!

Chappy, GO!

. . .

Chapter Two: A Time to Every Purpose Under Heaven

 _"Remember. . ._

 _"Remember, my child. . ._

 _"Remember, sweet daughter. . ._

 _"The time of the opening between worlds. . ._

 _"The downfall of the walls. . ._

 _"The Walker between worlds. . ._

 _"Promise me. . ._

 _"Promise me, you will remember. . ._

 _"PROMISE ME. . ._

 _"REMEMBER. . ."_

 _"I. . . I promise to . . . remember. . ."_

 _CRACK!_ A swift palm to her face shoved her out of her fitful sleep. Her eyes snapped open, and her heavy hand slowly reached up to rub her cheek. Everything seemed blurry and shaky, and she blinked several times to clear her eyesight.

Still, she couldn't focus on anything or get a clear picture of her surroundings. Her pounding head wasn't helping, and the heady fragrance floating in the room irritated her. The back of her neck throbbed with every movement.

"Nightmare?" He murmured something else that she couldn't quite hear. What she did hear was his loud footsteps on the concrete floor, creating an ominous, steady sound.

 _Thump_ , _thump_ , _thump_.

"You've been sleeping for quite some time. It takes a while to recuperate from such a venomous snake bite," he began. "Even when the antidote is administered immediately."

His voice boomed and echoed around in her mind.

 _Immediately?_

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"Your strength will be gone for a while, but you're not paralyzed. Your limbs will feel heavy and you will be tired for the next couple of days. The area around the bite will be sensitive and/or sore, at least for a while; maybe it'll act up in bad weather." His laugh was dry and harsh and sounded strange, as if he was not used to making the noise. Her ears complained at the strained noise.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"The side effects of the antidote are mild, mainly pupil dilation and medium level headaches. They should stick around for a day or so, give or take. Long enough for me to get what I need out of you while you're still extra weak."

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"Unfortunately-" His voice sounded strangled on the word. "-I can't weaken you further after the effects of the poison and the antidote wear off because it would be-" A strange bitterness laced his tone. "-cruel to harm you while you're defenseless. Right?"

 _Thump, thump-_ He stopped walking, and the absence of the steady thumping was almost worse than its presence.

He leaned down and his lips just barely brushed her ear.

"If you were to escape somehow, however, it would be fair game."

Now she could hear the thumping of her heart, beating steadily in the same way that his footsteps had resounded in the room.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"Now, can you answer some questions for me? Say yes, and we'll begin."

 _Thump, thump, thump._

She could feel his hot breath on her face as he talked, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. Strong-willed, she lay there, resisting the temptation to turn her head and look him in the eye with a glare. If she did so now, she knew, it would have little effect in her weakened state. Even as he ran his hand down her cheek, across her neck, she didn't flinch. She showed no fear. She showed nothing at all.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"You're giving me the silent treatment, hm?" he asked, his rough gloved fingers turning her face towards his.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Now she held his gaze with her emotionless stare, without averting her gaze or blinking, though the light began to hurt her currently oversensitive eyes. Unable to clearly see his eyes, her head throbbed and ached, her vision swimming even more.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

"You're strong, I'll give you that. But you won't resist for long." The fingers under her chin left their spot and came to rest at his side. He studied her for a moment, then stood up straight, and momentarily left her field of vision.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

But also, she could barely hear a whisper of a shaky inhale and exhale. Or was it just her imagination?

When he came back, he was holding a matchbox and a match.

Her heart stilled as something akin to icy fear gripped her heart.

"Will you talk now?"

She did nothing, her voice caught in her throat, her limbs heavier than ever. Even if she could have spoken, she wouldn't have. She couldn't show anything, couldn't feel anything. It would be too dangerous.

"Well then, looks like I'll have to use these." _"Stupid girl. You're hurting yourself like this_ ," he muttered to himself under his breath. Or was she hearing things?

Making sure she could see it, he struck it, it's flame brighter and more intense in her eyes than it should have been. To her, it looked like a raging wildfire, consuming everything around her, its heat closing in and it's smoke choking her.

The scream that followed was more hauntingly eerie than anything the world had heard before.

. .

"I can't do it," he sighed, rubbing his eyes wearily.

"What do you mean 'I can't do it'? You've been doing it for the last half hour." The man's voice was laced with incredulity and a bit of venom.

"It's the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I can hardly endure it."

"Harder to endure than when _she_ left y-"

"Stop. You're going too far." A stiff silence ensued. Finally, after an eternity, the teen gave another sigh.

"It's just so. . . cruel, heartless-" he began to protest, only to be cut off sharply.

"You think that we're being cruel to her? We could have killed her, left her to die in the Woods Between, or worse: we could have had our coroner cut open and inspect her body, figure out what conditions are like Beyond the Glade."

"But this is _torture_!" Ignoring the sickening possibilities, he continued with his protests. "There's no other way to describe it. It's simply torture. Hurting her for information. Torture by any other name is just as cruel*."

The argument became more heated, the tension skyrocketing. The younger was pacing around the room, the older was standing stiffly in front of a simple wooden table in the room. Arguments rapidly fired back and forth, increasingly louder and louder.

"We _need_ this information! It's the only source from Beyond that we have!"

"This isn't an 'it' we're talking about, this is _a person. A living human being. A teenage girl._ "

"You're being too sympathetic. Weak. You need to toughen up."

"You call this weak? This is called having a heart! And this is who I am! I can't change that. They should have picked-"

"DON'T go there. You were the better choice-"

"How can _I_ be the better choice? I'm not suited for this job at all. On the other hand, Russ-"

" _I SAID, DON'T GO THERE_!" he roared, pounding a fist into the table. A considerable dent was left behind. "YOU WERE THE BETTER CHOICE. END. OF. DISCUSSION."

The teen opened his mouth the retort, but-

 _Knock, knock!_

A hesitant knock at the door shattered the argument. They both exhaled, composing themselves and preparing to pretend that everything was calm. But the glares they shot each other clearly indicated that they would finish this conversation later.

"Come in, Kori," called the young man, turning away from his mentor and away from the door. "And, thanks for those cookies and lemonade, but I don't feel like eating anything right now," he said as she entered the room to his back.

"Thank you, Miss Anders." The elder of the two took one of the two cups of lemonade, probably more out of politeness than out of an actual desire for some fresh refreshments.

"You are th- most welcome," she replied, a gentle smile on her face.

"I see you're improving in regards to language," commented the younger man, turning to face her. Seeing her fresh purple outfit, shining strawberry red hair, and flawless face, he was only reminded of how disheveled he must have been at that moment.

"Thank you," she replied, a grin spreading across her face, her eyes sparkling. "My most kind boyfriend has been doin- helping me during his spare time."

The adolescent smirked. "I'm sure he has," he teased. "And more than that." He wiggled his eyebrows.

She blushed a faint shade of pink. "Anyways," she said, changing the subject, "I have not only brought refreshments to you but have also been sent to retrieve you both and bring you to the Garden. You have a visitor. If you are finished here, that is," she added quickly. "I am sure your visitor does not wish to disturb you and can come again at a later time."

"No worries, we're all done here for now. Who's the visitor?" The teen asked as he walked over and opened the door. The three of them left the room and began heading down the hall.

"It is a surprise!" Kori giggled. "I must not do the- I mean, I cannot tell you! You will find out when you arrive there."

As they neared the entrance/exit of the building, the cheerful young woman came alongside her fellow teen.

"Please, why must you do the fighting with your mentor? It does nothing to benefit your relationship with each other," she said quietly to him.

"It's just that, we can't seem to get along. We always disagree. I can't stand him half of the time, because he's trying to make me into someone who I'm not. I just don't know what to do," he replied, his eyes downcast in shame. Kori could do that to people- make them feel ashamed of their rash actions in a way only she could.

"Well, please try to do the reconciling and the getting along. I hate to see you both so worn down and unhappy all the time." A frown came over her beautiful features as she reasoned with him.

He sighed. No one could stand making Kori feel bad. "All right, I'll try. But- I won't make any promises."

Kori beamed once again. "As long as you truly try to do the attempting, I will accept whatever the results may be."

By now, they had reached the beginning of the Garden. Ready to meet the visitor, the trio picked up their pace and hurried down the mosaic stone path.

. . .

"TODAY HAS A SPECIAL PURPOSE! IT IS A REMARKABLE DAY FOR OUR SOCIETY'S HISTORY!" His voice rose with excitement. "THE SACRED TIME HAS COME! LET US REJOICE!"

The throng of people echoed with a cry. "Let us rejoice!"

He frowned, and the whole crowd could sense his displeasure. They hurriedly amended their shout. "LET US REJOICE!"

Satisfied, the tall man exited the stage, some servants leading the anxious young woman away to prepare for the night.

The man who spoke earlier returned to the center of the stage. "We shall congregate here together again at the ringing of the Diyerg Bell. Prepare yourselves. The Master hates tardiness," he reminded them.

As the crowd slowly dissipated, the guards returned to their posts, ready to stop any trouble. Unfortunately, they had to that day.

A wail rose from a tight circle of commoners. They tried to muffle it but to no avail.

" _My child! They have taken the one dearest to my heart! They have taken her! My child!_ " Sobs wracked an old woman's body as those around her tried to comfort her. " _The only thing left of my dear sister! The one I promised to love and protect!_ "

The guards approached. The people, though wary, continued to shield the grief-stricken woman.

"What is going on here?" demanded the leader.

" _They have taken her!_ " The old woman pushed through her defenders. " _There is nothing left for me in life! Take me, if you will! I cannot bear to see her suffer in the years to come!_ " She threw herself down at his feet as she pleaded.

"No, please," said a woman as she stepped in front of the grieving lady, between her and the soldier. "Pay no heed to her. She is not in her right mind."

"If you don't get her quieted down, we'll take this into our own hands," another guard warned, smacking the rod he held as his weapon into his hand.

She turned and knelt down to soothe the woman. "Please, _nirgwe_ , calm down. Your actions are doing you no good."

"No, _slyfgrwe_ , I cannot. I will resist all the way to my end." The determined look in her glassy eyes testified to the fact. "But, before I do, please, watch out for my sister's daughter, and take care of her poor daughter when the time is right. What is your name?"

The woman glanced warily over her shoulder at the guard before she responded. "Azar," the woman whispered so the guards could not hear her answer. "And yours, _nirgwe_?"

"Anaryth." She gripped Azar's hand. "Now please, promise me. Promise me you will watch over her," she pleaded.

"I promise."

Anaryth straightened. " _I will never silence, for my child has been taken_!" she shouted, the only fear being that of other commoners in the area, with the exception of Azar.

"Then you leave us no choice." A couple of the guards grabbed Anaryth and roughly pulled her to a cart at the corner of the street. As she was pushed inside and the cart was driven away, other guards began to clear the remaining people.

"CLEAR OUT! GO HOME AND PREPARE FOR TONIGHT! DO NOT BE LATE! DO NOT RETURN UNTIL THE DIYERG BELL!" they shouted, shaking their fists and weapons threateningly.

The small group of remaining people went home to make ready for the evening, one of them holding a dangerous secret in her heart.

. . .

*Disclaimer 2: This is not original. It was based on a phrase from a show. Can you guess what's the reference? Post in the comments your guess of the original phrase and the show it's from. The first person to guess correctly will receive _gloriam aeternam_ (eternal fame and glory)! (Or the reference for the place names (i.e. Woods Between)?)

Did you like it? I hope you did. Did you hate it? Maybe you did. What did you think?

And we know who one character is! It's. . . Kori Anders! A.K.A. Koriand'r! A.K.A. Starfire! Yay!

By the way, Anarynth is an OC of mine.

I made it longer than the last chapter too. Better? Not the longest writing I've done, but it's an improvement.

Please leave a review, even flames are okay. Any constructive criticism or suggestions out there in the tiny world of my few readers? Any guesses on the identity of the currently unnamed characters? Anything at all? _sighs._ Well, a girl can dream, right? Pretty please? With a waffle on top? (I thought of a reference: _Evil beware. We have waffles._ :D)

See you then! Or, well, you'll see me. . . er, my writing. ;P

ITNOJ- SHB 😉


	3. A Time to Be Born

Quick A/N: Hellooooooooooo guys!

In this chapter, we finally learn the definite identities of a few more characters! Yay! At the end of the chappy, I might put a list of characters whose names we know for some clarification. I hope that will help get rid of any confusion (except for the confusion that I want you to have. _Mwahahahaha!_ -silence- I failed the evil laughter).

To recap briefly, a girl gets attacked and interrogated by this guy who has issues with his mentor. These two guys are going with Kori Anders to meet a visitor. Also, there has been a ceremony where this intimidating guy chooses a bride, and this lady freaks out and charges a woman named Azar to watch over the young lady. Got it? Okay, moving on!

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or DC. If I did, I wouldn't have to go to school, right?

Titans, GO!

. . .

Chapter Three: A Time to be Born

As they hurried along the various paths in the huge garden, Kori began to talk about the Festival of Kufgra, and all the things she was preparing for the celebration, as she was part of the _Community Planning Committee,_ which was referred to as the _CPC_.

"I have already completed the banners that will hang on the Central Arch, and Victor has volunteered to help me put them up, along with setting up the tables and chairs. I also have consulted with the others on the _CPC_ about the theme color. We are evenly undecided between the three unique colors _lemon chartreuse,_ _deep sky aquamarine,_ and _violet azure._ "

 _"_ You should totally do _lemon chartreuse,_ " put in the teen, smirking as he imagined certain people wearing that color.

"I was actually favoring _deep sky aquamarine,_ " replied Kori. "Is it not just the most glorious color?" She spun in a circle as they left the last of the fruits and entered the section of flowers.

"It is pretty," agreed the older mentor.

"Yeah," muttered the young man beside him, not without a hint of bitterness in his voice. As if to mock him, they passed by some bright blue morning glories. He looked the other way, only to see some dandelions on the other side of the path, their bold yellow screaming at him. He cringed almost imperceptibly.

"Oh, I am sorry!" exclaimed the beautiful redhead, realizing the significance of that color to the teen beside her. "I did not realize the similarities of this shade of blue to that certain shade! I will convince the others to choose between the other two hues instead."

"It's okay, Kori," he replied, looking down at the path beneath them. "It's not a big deal-"

"I will not sacrifice my friend's happiness and comfort over such a trivial matter. We will not use _deep sky aquamarine_ ," she insisted.

"Kori-" he began, only to be cut off once more.

"I will NOT allow it!" she exclaimed, turning towards him with a fire in her eyes. "Is that clear?"

"Yes," he mumbled, subdued. Kori was sweet, but she could make _anyone_ yield to her if she wanted to. Especially her boyfriend, though he was usually stubborn and tough.

"If given the choice," said the man behind them, "I would go with-"

" _Violet azure_ , of course, honey. I know you too well," came a woman's voice from around the bend. Upon hearing it, the teen rushed around the corner into the center of The Garden, crying out, "Mom!"

Sitting on the edge of the large, ornate marble fountain was indeed none other than his mother, a stunning, tall, light brown-haired woman- Rita Farr Dayton. Her figure alluded to her time as a top-ranking swimmer, and made her the perfect candidate for a part-time actress, often performing on stage during various festivals.

"Hey, honey," she said, laughing and opening her arms as he gave her a crushing hug.

Kori took this as an opportunity to sneak away to give them some privacy; besides, she had promised to meet her boyfriend Richard that afternoon at the training grounds. She giggled to herself quietly in anticipation of what they would be doing together.

No one took notice of her absence. "I'm so glad that you could visit us!" the adolescent exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as he sat down beside her. "We desperately needed a break from work. I've been losing my mind!"

"Well, I'm glad that you two could take a break," she returned, also looking at her husband, who had come to stand next to them. "How have things been going?"

"Okay, I guess. Other than the fact that it kills me to do things like this." The youngest of the three frowned as the atmosphere quickly turned from joyful to gloomy.

"Garfield, honey," began his mother hesitantly, "I know it's hard at first to do this kind of thing, and that's only natural. But you'll get used to it in time. Just like your father-"

"It's natural to be disgusted for a _reason_!" He cut her off sharply, rising to his feet. The air became thick with tension and suppressed anger as he argued. "What we're doing is wrong! We're torturing another living being! A human! A _teenage girl_ , for goodness sake! A girl my age, just like Kori, and Dick, and Vic. And I will _never_ , _ever_ , become like Dad."

"GARFIELD MARK LOGAN!" roared his father, with a red face and clenched fists. "You will _not_ talk to your mother or me like that! Apologize this instant!"

A pause, then- "I'm sorry," he said quietly, subdued, turning towards his mother. But it was clearly only directed towards her, and not her husband.

"It's okay, honey," she responded. "Now apologize to your father."

"No," he said stiffly, turning away from her, his anger becoming fueled once again.

"You listen to me!" yelled the older man, turning to face him. He grabbed Gar's shoulder and forced him to turn around. "You need to show some respect-!"

He was cut off by a gentle hand on his shoulder. He let go of his son and turned to face his wife.

"Let it go, Steve," she said quietly.

He turned towards Garfield again, controlling his anger now.

"Go," he said stiffly. "You have the rest of the day off. I don't want to see you for the rest of the afternoon."

"'K." replied the boy, gritting his teeth inwardly. " _Dad_ ," he added bitterly. He walked away briskly, seeming calm enough, except for the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

The older couple watched the back of his blond head and his gloved fists as he walked away.

"Give the kid a break, Steve," Rita said gently, rubbing his back with her hand. "It's not his fault that he dislikes doing these things."

"I'm sorry, Rita," he replied, slowly relaxing. "I just- I want the best for our community above everything else, even my life."

"I do, as well," she said coming around to face him. "But this isn't the best way to go about it. He isn't hardcore like you. Gar is a fragile boy right now. Especially since the anniversary of- _their_ deaths- is coming up."

"I know," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her in a peaceful embrace. "I try, but I just can't seem to help at all."

"Maybe it will help if he finds someone new. He was so happy when-" She stopped speaking as he lifted a finger to her lips gently.

"He was," agreed Steve. "But right now, let's not dwell on the past. Let's just enjoy this moment."

So they stood there for a long time, just enjoying their time together in their warm embrace, and listening to the quiet rushing of the water and the tinkling of the wind chimes that swung on the branches of trees gently swaying in the breeze.

. .

Waking up, the teenage girl realized that most of the side effects of the antidote were gone, except that she still had the faintest traces of a headache. She blinked a few times to adjust to the light, and sat up, slowly, to avoid nausea and dizziness that would surely come over her if she let the blood rush suddenly to her head.

She found herself on, strangely enough, a bed, not just a cot, and a pretty comfortable one at that. The bed-sheets were a sleek, dark blue satin, and were made neatly over the soft mattress, save the area that she had been lying on. There was a single pillow at the head, in a plain white cover. The bed frame was made of a dark wood and had been smoothed and polished.

The walls were painted a comfortable pale blue, and the floor was covered with a thin, dark carpet. A bathroom in the corner was closed off by a curtain, but she could still vaguely see dark shapes inside. A huge mirror covered the wall next to the door, and she was sure it was a two-way window. Looking at the reflection in it, the teen immediately saw that all of her belongings were gone, including her weapons, and her familiar hood, much to her discomfort. However, she noticed that she still looked as if she had spent the last three weeks out in the woods (which she practically did). Turning her head, she saw a dresser, with a hairbrush sitting on top of it. A slight breeze drew her attention to a ceiling fan, shining a bright light into the room.

"Well, this is not quite what I was expecting," she murmured. "This is better than the place I used to live in." She swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

She stood up and immediately sat down again as her head spun. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her fingers to her temple until the feeling passed, then stood up again, more slowly this time. Still, her feet wobbled under her, as she hadn't been on them for the past few days.

She stumbled around slowly for a little while, getting used to walking again by gripping onto the dresser to balance herself. Once she regained her stability, she headed over to the bathroom. She splashed some water from the ceramic sink onto her face, then went to relieve herself.

Then she inspected the room further, looking closely at each item of furniture, and also the structure of the room. Afterward, she sat back down on the bed. She had spent some time looking around the place, but there was nothing special to see. No hidden spaces in the dresser. No loose parts in the wall. The carpet was firmly attached to the floor, and the mirror gave no indication of anything concealed behind it.

"They didn't even give me a single book," she sighed. "What am I supposed to do?" Swinging her legs up under herself, she closed her eyes, opened her mouth- and then opened her eyes again. She laughed bitterly. "Trying to meditate at a time like this, Raven. What are you, crazy?" She put her feet back on the rough carpet. "My mind is in too much turmoil right now. I need to clear my mind first."

She closed her eyes again and hummed a note softly. Then she opened her mouth once more.

. .

Garfield strode stiffly back into the dark building, clenching his fists at his sides. He stomped up the stairs, tore down the hallway, and banged the door open, fiercely grabbing his stuff and slinging it over his shoulder. Abruptly, he stopped, and sank to his knees, letting his bag slide to the ground and burying his face in his hands. A strangled cry escaped his lips.

"Why?" he whispered, tears easily flowing down his cheeks. "Can't you see I'm trying, Steve? I'm doing the best I can, but it's not enough. It's never enough! Why didn't you just let Russ-" He choked on a sob. "Why didn't you give him the job?" He clutched his head. "Never enough," he sobbed, resting his forehead on his knees. "You took me in, but now it seems that you never wanted me. Why do you hate me so much? What did I do? Why do you expect so much from me?" His sobs turned into silent tears that dropped off his chin onto the floor. "Why?" he whispered again. He sat up and hugged his knees to his chest, laying his head sideways on top of them as he squeezed his eyes shut.

He had sat there for only a moment when he heard a faint melody drift through the air. He perked his head, quickly rubbing the tears from his cheeks with his fist. He tilted his head towards the two-way window to his left. Standing up, he walked over to the window and peered through, listening to the song.

 _*Go and catch a falling star,  
Get with child a mandrake root,_  
 _Tell me where all past years are,  
Or who cleft the devil's foot,  
Teach me to hear mermaids singing,  
Or to keep off envy's stinging,  
And find  
What wind  
Serves to advance an honest mind._

The girl was sitting on her bed inside the room. As she sang the lovely tune, she tilted her head up ever so slightly. Her dark hair flowed partway down her back, some of it draping over her shoulders and just reaching the middle of her sternum. Her eyes were closed, and her long lashes curled up perfectly. Her pale skin glowed in the artificial light of the ceiling fan. Her elegant, dainty fingers rested softly on her knees, slightly rounded as if she was resting them on the keys of a piano. Her voice was exquisite, perfectly melodious and in tune, delicate and strong at the same time. At that moment, Garfield saw that she was truly beautiful, more beautiful than almost anything he had seen before. And at that moment, he fell in love with her.

 _If thou be'st born to strange sights,  
Things invisible to see,  
Ride ten thousand days and nights,  
Till age snow white hairs on thee,  
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me,  
All strange wonders that befell thee,  
And swear,  
No where  
Lives a woman true and fair._

But something was off. Scrunching his eyebrows, he scrutinized her, trying to figure out what was wrong. Then, as she opened her eyes, he realized it.

She was singing so beautifully, he almost missed it. But as he saw her gorgeous amethyst eyes open, he saw that they were empty. Empty of all feeling, a void of emotions. No spark shone in her eyes- she was singing with no feeling at all. Those stunning eyes were hard and cold, like impenetrable fortresses showing no hint of any precious emotion hidden within them. She seemed to be looking directly at him, piercing his soul, even though he knew that she couldn't see past the mirror.

He stumbled back a step, startled. It looked so much like she was staring straight into his eyes. But, even if she somehow was, she gave no indication of it, still continuing to sing the same way she had been.

 _If thou find'st one, let me know,  
Such a pilgrimage were sweet;  
Yet do not, I would not go,  
Though at next door we might meet,  
Though she were true, when you met her,  
And last, till you write your letter,  
Yet she  
Will be  
False, ere I come, to two, or three._

She finished the song, paused for a moment, then, briefly brushing her hair back over her shoulders, she crossed her legs underneath her, closed her eyes once more, then began to meditate.

Garfield gaped at her for a moment, before shaking his head back and forth, not unlike a dog, and walked over to his bag. Slinging it over his shoulder, he began to walk out of the room. He paused as he heard a faint whisper, but all he could hear was gibberish. He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out what she was saying. _As a rat . . . met tree on . . . sit those_? No, that couldn't be right. But it was the most he could make out of it, even though he knew that wasn't what she was saying.

He took a final quick, lingering look at the mysterious teen girl in the room before exiting, pondering over her as he went down the hallway and out of the building, his sorrows long forgotten.

. . .

"Arella is giving birth!"

The whisper spread through the streets like a plague, easily running out to the farthest edges of the city. Having started nearly an hour before, it had now even made its way to some of the nearest villages. People all over were waiting in anticipation for the moment when they would receive the news officially, waiting for the loud cry of the _ytizqrys_ as the heralds came thundering down the path, the brass instruments in hand, declaring the moment to everyone.

One particular woman waited anxiously near the doors of the palace, hiding cautiously in the shadows. Every time someone walked out, she watched them anxiously, waiting for news about Scath's wife.

The door opened. A guard strode out and walked over to another guard, carelessly leaving the door open behind him. He began to talk somewhat quietly with his fellow worker, but loud enough that the older woman could hear them.

"It's happenin'," said the first guard, jerking his thumb towards the door of the palace. "The Gem should be here any minute now. The Lady's screamin' like a banshee in there."

"Whatcha' think Scath'll do if it fails?" asked the second guard, leaning back against the wall.

"Dunno," replied the first. "Nothing bad to us, I hope."

That was all she stayed to hear. As the two chatted more, she took the opportunity to sneak past them, into the palace. She glided through the shadows of the halls, paying no attention to the dreadful splendor all throughout the building. The place was filled with servants, who were bustling and rushing even more than usual, getting things for Arella. A few distant shrieks of pain mingled with the noise.

By listening to the frenzied conversations all throughout the hallway, she figured out that the lady of the house was upstairs, at the end of the hall. Grabbing a spare servant uniform and quickly dressing in it as a disguise, she snuck upstairs with a group of maids.

When they entered the room, the first thing Azar heard was the screams in full volume. The first second, it was the painful scream of a woman in agony in labor. Then, she heard the beautiful, chilling, bold scream of a newborn. Looking towards the bed in the center of the room, she saw the royal doctor, leaning over the bed.

That one wail was the only sound she heard before a thick silence took over. The only sound was Arella's heavy, slow breathing. The doctor, having finished her work, held the child reverently in the air. In the moments of silence, Azar thought, " _This child will do both great and terrible things_."

Then, the word began traveling. A few maids hurried out of the room and rushed down the stairs, shouting as they delivered the news. A sudden change from the silence, the clamor grew rapidly, everyone spring into action. The doctor handed over the baby to her mother, then turned to face the servants.

"You!" shouted the physician, pointing to Azar. "Stay here with the Lady." She turned to the other maids. "Everyone else, out! I need help gathering certain things." She strode out quickly, and the rest of the maids filed meekly after her, leaving Azar alone with Arella.

Azar quietly walked over to the younger woman, and stood next to her, watching the new mother hold her baby. Arella's face was a mix of love, joy, and hope, but also grief and despair as she pressed her child gently into her chest. Leaning down, she murmured softly to the infant. After a few moments, she straightened and began to speak quietly to Azar.

"Would you like to hold her?" she whispered, looking up at the gentle figure.

"Oh, no," replied Azar, shaking her head. "I would never want to separate a mother from her newborn baby."

"Please," insisted Arella, a pleading look in her eyes. "This could be the last chance for anyone to hold her. I want her to have a connection with her people, not just the sorrows of her heritage."

The older woman paused a moment before stretching out her arms."Alright," agreed Azar reluctantly, gingerly taking the babe into her own embrace. "Have you decided on a name for her yet?"

She replied without any hesitation. "Her name is Raven."

"Raven Roth, then?" asked the older woman, now handing back the tiny child.

"No," Arella said quickly. "Just Raven. I don't want her to be bound to us in any way. He and I are . . . not the best parents to be tied to."

Azar nodded. She hesitated a moment before cautiously asking, "Do you want her to live this life?"

When Arella did not respond, she was afraid that she had probed too deeply. But then she saw a tear drip down her cheek and heard a small sniffle.

"Of course not." The Lady's voice wavered. "I would never want my child to suffer this fate." A silent sob choked her. "I would do anything to help her escape this life. If only we could escape his control."

This was the moment. If she did not speak now, there would never come the opportunity ever again.

"I-" Azar paused. "I may be able to help you escape with your daughter." Arella's face lit up with hope as she looked up. "I can't make any promises, but, I did promise your mother's sister that I would watch over you."

 _Anarynth_ , Arella breathed, an indescribable look coming over her face.

Azar nodded. She looked around the room nervously. "I'm afraid I am not able to talk too much now, but, know that I will always be there to help you."

"Please, promise me something," implored Arella. "Promise me that, no matter what, you will take care of Raven. Even if it means not protecting me."

Another hesitation. Then- "I promise," replied Azar. Kneeling down in front of the bed, she laid a hand on Raven's head. _Bless this child_ , she whispered.

As she stood up, Arella asked, "What is your name, _nirgwe_?"

"Azar," she replied gently, one hand still resting on the baby's head.

"Thank you, Azar." She smiled. "You may call me Angela."

. . .

And that's it for Chapter Three! Yay! 1,300+ words longer than Chapter Two! Yay! Took me forever to write it, I'm slow at this kind of stuff, and I've been busy. Oh, I already said that? _Shrugs._ Oh well. Doesn't hurt to say it again, does it?

*DISCLAIMER 2 **:** I do not own the poem _Go and Catch a Falling Star_ (also known as _Song_ ) by John Donne. I only used it for the lyrics of the song.

 **Here's the character list:  
\- Scath (Trigon)  
\- Azar  
\- Anarynth  
\- Kori Anders (Starfire)  
\- Victor (Stone) (Cyborg)  
\- Steve and Rita Dayton (Mento and Elasti-Girl)  
\- Garfield Mark Logan (Beast Boy)  
\- Richard (Grayson) (Robin)  
\- Raven  
\- Arella/Angela  
\- Russ- (?)**

Hahahahah! You won't get to know who this "Russ-" person is until later. It's not too obvious, or too hard, to guess, so make a guess!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review! Comments, feedback, questions, suggestions, grammatical fixes? It would be much appreciated.

ITNOJ-SHB 😉


	4. A Time to Die

Quick A/N: Hellooooooooooo again! I'm back **_finally_** with Chapter 4. _Rubs neck sheepishly._ It's . . . been awhile, hasn't it? Heh, heh . . . Ummm . . . Sorry?

But seriously, I'm awful at all this "update on time" stuff. Once again, my apologies. I've had severe writer's block, and I've been super busy with school. I know, I know, it's the excuse I make every time. Aaaaand it's summer right now. But that's because it's true! You gotta believe me! Trigonometry is _hard_ , especially when most people don't learn it at your age. And Euclidean Geometry. Ugh.

Recap: Raven is attacked and interrogated by Garfield, who argues with his mentor Steve. Kori brings them to the Garden, where they meet their visitor- Rita, Steve's husband, and where we learn names and some info. Also, Scath chooses a bride, Arella, whose aunt charges Azar to watch over her niece. Arella gives birth to a baby girl named Raven, and Azar promises to take care of Arella (Angela) and the baby. The link has finally been revealed! All good? Great! Let's move on.

 **WARNING:** Some things get a little gory at the end. If you don't like these kinds of descriptions, or blood, etc., avoid the ending section. I will say what happens without all the details in an A/N.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC characters. And I probably never will. :( Oh well.

TITANS, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

. . .

Chapter Four: A Time to Die

Raven had been meditating for at least the better part of a day (probably most of a day) before she fully calmed down. Even then, when she got up to take a shower, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. So as she grabbed her hairbrush, she turned towards the massive mirror and glared towards anyone who might have been behind it. She brushed her dark hair slowly, careful not to pull on it painfully and give herself a headache. Once she was done, she headed over to the bathroom area of the cell.

As she prepared to undress behind the bathroom curtain, she nervously reached for her pouch to set it aside safely. However, she suddenly fully realized for the first time with shock that her dearest possession was not hanging comfortably at her side, as she was accustomed to. Looking down, she nearly recoiled at her unadorned waist. She clutched desperately at the empty space left by it, then frantically searched her pockets in vain, only coming up with empty air.

"NO! No, no, no, no, this can't be happening, I need my pouch, no, no, no . . ." Raven rambled to herself incomprehensibly as she panicked and burst out of the bathroom into the main part of her cell. She rushed to the bed and nearly ripped off the neatly made sheets, shaking them out over the carpeted floor. Finding nothing, she grabbed a pillow off the bed and pulled the cover off violently, throwing both on the floor by the sheets when she found nothing. She did the same with the other pillow but to no avail.

She spun towards the dresser where she yanked out the top drawer, dumping its contents (which were several sets of plain clothing) onto the carpet, where she rifled through them. Unsuccessful, she grabbed the next drawer and did likewise. She went through all three drawers of the small dresser but still had no luck.

"They must have taken it," Raven growled, fear fueling her rising anger. The lights flickered overhead as if to mirror her emotions, and this led her to stop in her tracks. She realized that she was _feeling_ , and took a deep breath, closing her eyes, to whisper, " _Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos . . . Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos_ . . ." a few times. This helped a to snuff her anger, but the sound of the door opening made it flare up again immediately.

. .

Garfield muttered to himself as he walked into the Interrogation Center. "Of course, Steve, tell me you don't wanna see my ugly maw again at work today, then call me to tell me that I have to 'feed the girl'. Stupid. Can't he have done it for himself? Of course not, 'cause he decided to take the day off with Mom and leave me to do the work that he said he didn't want me doing today. Stupid."

He continued thus until he made it to the observation room, where he dropped his bag unceremoniously onto the table. Glancing quickly at the two-way mirror, he saw the teenage girl behind it grabbing her hairbrush. But then, she whipped her head around, and once again pierced him through the glass with her hollow stare. He stumbled backward a couple of steps, startled, and slammed his elbow hard on the table.

"AH!" he cried out in pain. He reached out his left hand and clutched his sore elbow, swearing under his breath. "Great, now my arm is sore. Why do they call it the 'funny bone' anyway?" Risking a second peek at the mirror, he saw her brushing her hair as if nothing had just happened.

To tell the truth, Garfield didn't usually get so angry about chores getting dumped on him, even if he was a bit annoyed by it sometimes. It was just that, he was still shaken by what had happened earlier that day. He couldn't stop thinking about it, wondering about it.

 _Why did her eyes look so. . . blank? No, that isn't quite the right word to describe it. Dull? No. Empty? Exactly. Her eyes were so empty. It was as if she was a droid or something, not a living person. And how could she look straight at him like that? It's as if she has telepathic powers or something._ He chuckled to himself. _That actually wouldn't be so surprising, knowing the place we live in, and the people here, myself included._

 _Kori is a Pyrokinetic, for one. A special one too, 'cause her fire is green, which is awesome. Her fireworks displays are always the best. Plus, she's super athletic, and she's got this smoking's hot figure. He smirked. I might've taken her, but Rich beat me to the punch. If Dick could hear my thoughts right now, I would have just earned myself a punch in the face. But I mean, who can't help but admire the way her exotic red hair billows out to her waist, or the vast expanse of her golden-tan skin that she shows off. But I don't really think of her like that anymore. I haven't since. . ._

 _Anyways, then there's Victor. He's a Technopath, just like his dad. His old man was the one who created the mechanical parts of him after the accident. That's his additional power; his metal limbs are not only way stronger than a normal human's, but he's developed a ton of sweet gadgets and attachments for his metal arms!_

 _Well, I mean, Richard has no powers, but he's a talented acrobat and has plenty of muscles. He's also got all of his fancy toys and stuff. Like his bo staff. And his smoke bombs. And his freeze discs. And his. . . what does he call it, a birdarang? And he's got that sweet motorcycle he calls the R-Cycle. And now that I think about it, Roy doesn't have any powers either. All he does is shoot his fancy schmancy arrows around. I have to admit, though, he is a good shot._

 _And then there's Russ-_

"OOF!"

. .

As Raven saw the door opening, she acted on instinct and swing her fist as hard as she could at whoever was behind it, which happened to be the unsuspecting Garfield.

You see, the young man was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even notice that he had picked up the dinner for the girl and walked to her room. Luckily, he had balanced the tray on one shoulder while he used his other hand to unlock and open the door. Because of this, Raven punched him in the stomach, instead of the face. Also, it would have been more of a reach to hit his face.

Anyways, the young man was now bent over in pain, the hand not holding the tray clutching his midsection. Somehow the contents of the tray were miraculously stable and still in place. He grimaced in pain and wheezed/grunted, "What did you do that for!?" through clenched teeth. _Man, for such a small girl, she can really pack a punch!_ But of course, he didn't say that, because, judging from the fact that she just punched him for _no reason_ , he wisely guessed that she wouldn't appreciate that statement.

Raven didn't seem to be sorry for punching him. She didn't even seem smug about it. Instead, she was still frantic, and now extremely angry. "WHERE IS MY POUCH!?" she shrieked, eyes wide and wild. She was beginning to hyperventilate, and the lights were flickering fully on and off. Neither of the teens seemed to notice, though. This rare display of emotion was clearly not a pleasant one.

By now, the pain had dulled considerably, and Garfield straightened up, confused. "What?" he asked bluntly.

Raven's eyes blazed as she snapped at him. "Don't you _dare_ play dumb with me! I _know_ you know where it is." Her knuckles turned even paler as her fists tightened once again. "Give it back. _Or else._ " She seemed to glow with a dark rage in the flickering lighting.

Garfield was now thoroughly puzzled. He blinked at her for a few moments, trying to process what she just said through his hazy mind. Suddenly everything clicked, and he finally understood her. "I dunno where it is," he replied nonchalantly, "but if anywhere, it should be with your other stuff in our examination lab."

"I don't care where it is, I just need it! NOW!" she screamed, just as panicked as she was angry. Her voice was broken and raspy, and he guessed that she was wearing out her throat by yelling so much.

"Okay, okay, dude," he said quickly, raising his free hand in front of his body in self-defense. "I'll go look for it. Calm down, geez, will you?" He quickly went and set down the tray on the dresser, then rushed out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the distressed girl alone once more.

As soon as he left, Raven dropped to her knees and clutched her head. She focused on her breathing, and slowly calmed down, breathing a phrase under her breath repeatedly. The lights suddenly shone back in full as if to mirror the way the chaos in her mind slowed to a stop. She took another few deep breaths, then stood up and lowered her hands. Looking around the room, she realized how much of a mess she had made, and she set about to clean up the room while she waited for Garfield's return. She began with the bed, picking up the blue sheets from the floor and shaking them out gently before spreading them back onto the mattress, tucking the edges neatly underneath. She went and grabbed the pillow she had discarded onto the floor, and fluffed it with a few strong hits and pulls. Then she straightened out the pillowcase and set it back at the head of the bed.

By the time she had finished these things, Garfield was at the door again. He had run all the way to the examination lab on the third floor and back, so now he was slightly out of breath and sweaty. He had paused for a breather at the lab before he grabbed her things, all neatly placed in a plastic ziplock bag. He hadn't personally checked her things, but he knew that all her belongings, except her weapons, of course, were in the clear. Their best examiner, Zatanna, had gone over her things herself, and though she was wary, she had deemed it safe to return the girl's belongings and eventually blamed her foreboding sense on the fact that the girl was from Beyond.

As he ran back, Garfield had pondered over the things that had happened since he found the girl in the forest. He had a strong suspicion that Zatanna's bad feeling was because of Raven's powers. Though he had no idea what they could be, he felt that all his eerie encounters with the teenage girl fit in with this theory. But what kind of powers would make Zatanna wary? Were they some sort of magic-based powers, like the great magician herself?

As Garfield turned the door handle, he opened up the door upon an immaculate room. Not only was the bed neat, but the carpet looked untouched, the dresser was in perfect alignment with the wall, the bathroom area sparkled, and the walls were shining. As he stepped into the room, the gentle scent of clean rain grew stronger to his sense of smell. He breathed deeply and closed his eyes before he watched her make final adjustments to the bed.

He watched the gentle slope of her back as she bent over to smooth out a wrinkle in the sheets, and followed the curve of it as she straightened back up and arched backward. His eyes caught on the way her hair slid behind her shoulders and settled at her back, and he gazed at the way it swished gently back and forth as she walked towards him. But as spheres reached her eyes, he jolted back to reality and handed the bag to her.

"Here you go," he said casually, leaning back against the door.

A moment passed. "Thank you," she replied softly and calmly, even though her face was stoic.

What happened to the enraged, panicked, and half-crazy girl and the ransacked, torn apart room he was sure were there just a few minutes ago?

She opened the bag and rifled through its contents, before pulling out a brown, leather pouch. Whatever was inside it couldn't have been much bigger than her fist, but it was still very important to her.

"Well, uh, I'm gonna go now, and leave you alone," he fumbled, rubbing the back of his head. When she didn't answer, he tried to come up with something to say. "Uhhh . . . enjoy your dinner?" Before he could make a bigger fool of himself, he opened the door and backed out hastily. He quickly shut it and locked it before walking back to get his things absentmindedly. He thought hard about all the information he had gathered over the time she had "come to" (i.e. had been taken by force) their community.

This girl was . . . strange, at the least. Maybe Zatanna was right. Maybe she wasn't to be trusted. _Something_ was wrong with her, definitely. He shivered at her eyes. But did that mean she was . . . evil? Maybe she was just misunderstood. Maybe she just needed someone's trust and love, like-

He swallowed hard. He still couldn't think about her. He hadn't healed. Not yet. Not for a long time yet, either.

But for now, he shoved those "maybe"s aside, and decided to do his best to focus on the present, and enjoy his life.

. . .

The scaffold stood high above the silent crowd. No one dared to speak a word, yet the thoughts of the crowd were many.

 _What happened this time?_

 _Who's the one who ticked him off this time?_

 _This is a warning to all of us, to be wary and careful._

 _They should 'ave watched their tongue, maybe they could've avoided this._

 _The poor soul who is going through this._

 _These things are happening more and more often. What could that mean?_

 _Who's the family who's going to suffer?_

 _How much more can we take?_

These and so many more circulated among fellow townspeople, some more common than others. Yet one thought held sway in all these hearts.

 _Am I next?_

The bells tolled ominously, marking the Pylerwe. The sun was still rising, but it mattered not- dark clouds loomed in the sky, threatening a downpour as they always did on days such as this. For some unknown reason, the heavens seemed to mourn along with all the people on these particular occasions. Never did it rain so darkly as this during even funerals, but only now.

An execution day.

The crowd became even more silent, if that was possible, as an elderly woman, heavy laden with chains, slowly trekked up the stairs that would lead to her death. Her hair was gray, dirty and tangled, and hung miserably over her face. Her eyes were tired and bloodshot, and her feet were blistered and raw. The dungeon had certainly taken its toll on her, as it did on all its prisoners. Still, she held her head up high and refused to crumble before the multitude. She stood at the front of the scaffold with her hands shackled in front of her, without trembling, at least outwardly.

The stares of many people held judgment and criticism, but far more held kindness, sympathy, or pity. A few were angry, though none could know whether at her or at her treatment. The silence began to be oppressive, and the woman began to long for whispers, or some kind of noise to break the agony of the silence.

Her prayer may have been answered, for the sound of the footsteps of another sounded out. By the weight and stability of them, she could tell that the master himself was climbing up the stairs. She willed her knees not to shake and resisted turning to look at him as he towered over her at her side, for fear of turning to pleading.

His voice easily carried to the edges of the crowd. "We have come here today to punish the unfaithful actions of a subject. Tell us your name, _paf jsh_ ," he sneered.

She willed herself to be strong. " MY NAME, _NLARWE_ , IS ANARYNTH!" She had to shout to be heard by all those present.

Almost a year after that fateful day, the sister of Arella's mother was being punished for her outcry. By grieving for her niece's future, she had shown signs of rebellion against their ruler, who possessed the entire ruling power within his domain, which was continually expanding.

"And what is your crime, you _akyf_?" Many cringed at his frequent use of disrespectful names.

"MY CRIME IS SPEAKING AGAINST THE _NLARWE'S_ CHOICE OF A BRIDE!" She internally begged her voice not to quiver.

"And what do we do to those who defy me?" His voice was cold and sharp and demanded the response he wanted.

"EXECUTE THEM!" The cry came strong and unified but had an undercurrent of fear.

But he didn't mind. If anything, he relished the feeling of causing that reaction in his people. "Go,' he commanded, as he looked to Anarynth.

She hobbled over to the device of execution which stood tall above her. A half circle had been carved from a piece of wood so it would accommodate a person's neck. Wooden beams stretched high and supported a sharp, curved, foreboding blade, which had been polished and shined for the occasion. The one to be executed was required to kneel in humiliation behind the contraption and place his or her neck onto the bottom piece of wood, and when the blade was released, it would sever the person's head. The dreaded name struck fear into the hearts of all, and the sight of it was worse. It was the guillotine.

Anarynth knew her time had come. She felt a calm within her and did not hesitate to lay open her neck to the unforgiving blade. Scath smiled. He enjoyed executions. Why else would he do them himself? He chuckled and grinned maliciously, before letting the blade drop.

Arella's child was now three months of age, but showing intelligence above her few days. Somehow knowing that she had a blood relation to Anarynth, she began wailing, and became inconsolable, though Arella could muffle her cries effectively enough with her bosom. She couldn't bear to look anyways and used her child as an excuse to flee to the palace and grieve alone there. As the guards escorted her back, all she could see was her mother's sister, kneeling there, and the blade coming down, and her head, rolling-

She felt sick to her stomach. As she hastened to her room, she began dry heaving, clutching her baby to her chest. Blood seemed to be everywhere she looked. Covering her bed, dripping down the walls, soaking the carpet and squelching under her feet. She handed off her child to the nearest person and raced to the bathroom for water.

But when she turned on the faucet, it seemed that God has sent a plague on her as he did Egypt, for she only saw blood flowing down and staining the sink. She hurriedly turned it off and rushed to the shower. Without bothering to remove her clothing, she turned on the spray. The warmth calmed her for a moment as she closed her eyes, but upon opening them she was horrified to see nothing but blood raining down on her, drenching her clothing. Her stomach heaved as she saw red rivulets trickling down her arms, and as she saw her hands stained with it.

She cut off the flow and tumbled out of the shower, only to look in the mirror and see Anarynth's face with her sorrowful, worn eyes blank and her neck severed and bloody. Arella cried out in fear, disgust, and horror and sank to the floor, sobbing. She did not even dare to put her head in her hands, for fear that blood would cover her face, and enter her eyes and nose and mouth until she was drowning in it.

A calm hand steadied her shoulder.

 _"Breathe_ ," a calm voice spoke to her.

A golden light seemed to break through her hysteria, and Arella found herself wonderfully lost in the soothing peace, blood, and death forgotten. She breathed deeply and slowly and soon found that the peace was not only surrounding her but in her. The light faded, and Arella opened her eyes to see Azar's worried face, showing slight wrinkles and other signs of age. Azar's hand rubbed her cheek gently.

"Better now?" she asked quietly.

Arella nodded, then hesitated. Trembling, she held up her arm and examined it. No blood, just sodden with water.

"There is no blood," Azar reassured her. "Your mind was only imagining it. Probably because of the shock, horror, and guilt you've just experienced all at once. She shifted her kneeling position to better balance Raven in her lap. "Do you want your daughter back?"

"Yes, please." She reached out and picked up the child, pulling her close despite how wet she herself was. She needed to know that she was safe. What would happen to her if her father got what he wanted? Arella couldn't let that happen to her child.

"Remember, I am here for you and Raven. And I can help you escape," Azar reminded her. And oh, they were just the words she needed to hear.

She looked up with tears in her eyes. Of grief over Anarynth's death. Of worry for Raven's future. And of hope for an escape from this life.

"How soon?"

. . .

That . . . was a LOT darker than I meant it to be. I'll put a warning at the beginning about it. I disgusted and horrified myself. o.O

Weeelllllll, long story short- Anarynth died. She was executed by Scath. Arella's leaving.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, despite the- (shivers)- lovely descriptions . . . Leave a review on what you think! All comments are appreciated and taken into consideration.

ITNOJ- SHB 😉


	5. A Time to Plant

Quick A/N: Aaaand we're back! With Chapter Five! Wow, they just keep getting longer and longer.

N.B.- I used the infamous Google Translate for the Spanish sections. So forgive me. ; - ;  
Also, I don't know too much about other DC characters, so . . . I'll try to skip over them as much as I can as to not mess anything up.

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Teen Titans or any other DC characters. Also, planting ideas inspired by Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger

. . .

Chapter Five: A Time to Plant

The night glowed softly with the golden light from the paper lanterns drifting along above the heads of the crowd. Couples walked about hand in hand, murmuring softly to each other as they meandered along the paths of the Garden. Among these was Kori, dressed in a beautiful one-shouldered blue-violet dress, that fitted her curved form and cut off a couple inches above her knees to reveal her tanned legs. At her side was her boyfriend Richard, who, as always, had his sunglasses obscuring his eyes, but wore a smart black suit over a crisp white shirt, with black slacks and polished dress shoes. His tie matched the color of Kori's dress. His black hair was gelled and spiked to perfection and his sunglasses gleamed in the glow of the lanterns.

The two intertwined their fingers tightly, showing their status as a couple. Kori held a gorgeous rose in her right hand, a gift from Richard when he picked her up earlier that evening. The color of its petals ranged from bright pink to a deep red, the result of the finest breeding by the most skilled botanists in the Community. Richard's status in the Community had allowed him to easily obtain the flower for his girlfriend.

Suddenly, the air rushed around them, as two young boys sped up to them. Marcus and Manuel- more commonly known as Marc and Manny, or M&M- had come to attempt courting the lovely Kori.

"¡Hola hermosa señorita Kori!" chattered M&M in unison, both beaming despite Manny's missing front tooth. Marc stood atop Manuel's shoulders, extending out a bouquet of dandelions, while Manny held out a single, droopy yellow flower. Seeing his brother's abundance, he frowned and sped them both away. When they returned, still just coming up to Kori's chin, Marc held a box of chocolates, and Manuel held a single lollipop. Frustrated by his lesser gift, Manny turned around once more. When M&M returned the final time, Marc was holding a teddy bear, and Manny ended up with nothing. Angered by this, Manny began yelling at his twin brother.

"¿Por qué siempre intentas ser mejor que mi hermano? ¿Por qué siempre tengo **menos**? ¡Siempre tienes **más** que yo!" He reached for his brother's gift and attempted to tug it away from him. Marc defended himself against his brother's jealousies and held tightly to the stuffed animal.

"No es mi culpa que termines con **menos** que yo," he replied. "Creo que estoy mejor, si termino con **más**." He grinned in pride. "Incluso tengo **más** dientes que tú."

Manny growled and scratched at him, and Marc returned the actions, until both brothers were screaming at each other, and they sped away with a dust cloud indicating their struggle. Kori, well used to their affections, was not at all fazed by the situation of the last minute or so. Even though Richard, as well, knew well that Kori felt only motherly tenderness for the boys, he still felt himself clenching his jaw and gripping Kori's hand tightly as he stared coldly after the twins.

Easily seeing Richard's feelings, Kori smiled and leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder. "You are jealous of two boys of the young age?" she teased. She squeezed his hand lightly.

Richard, soothed by her gentle words and seeing the ridiculousness of the scenario, forced himself to relax and see reason. "I know it's silly to feel threatened by M&M, Kori, but . . ."

Kori stopped and turned to face him before putting a slender finger to his lips, quieting him. "I love _you_ , Richard, and you only. No one can come between that. Not children seeking my attention, not strong men with amazing powers. It is you that I love with my whole heart." She leaned into him and breathed in his musky scent as he wrapped his strong arms around her. She enjoyed his embrace for a moment, before her eyes focused before her on a barely visible figure, hiding alone beneath the branches of a weeping willow.

. .

Raven drank in the near complete silence and darkness that the draping branches of the willow provided her. Despite the thick cover of wood and leaves around her, she could still hear muffled voices and see dim lights of the festival. The slight breeze rustled the surrounding leaves the slightest bit, and the gentle sounds of nature calmed her raging headache to the same extent. She squeezed her eyes shut and leaned back against the trunk of the willow, fingers itching to rub her aching temples.

Soon Raven felt a presence approach her. By instinct, she immediately glided her body into a defensive position, longing for her weapons to protect herself. Snapping her eyes open, she hissed, "What do you want?" coldly, knowing who was there.

"Woah, there," came the cheerful voice from above her. She turned her head upwards to see a boy her age with blond hair and mischievous green eyes grinning down at her as he crouched at the fork of the willow's trunk. _Him._ He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I come in peace!" He leaped gracefully over her head and landed smoothly on the dirt in front of her. She flinched as he sprang up from his crouch. "Jumpy, much?" he teased.

Raven scowled. Who did he think he was, to just come here and interrupt her peace and quiet? And him being her captor and tormentor only made things worse. She had to give him credit for being able to sneak up the tree without her noticing (at least, not with her five senses), but that didn't make her like him. At all.

"What are you doing here," she muttered coldly. She was torn between glaring at him or just stalking away without another word. But as a sharp pain tore through her head, this time she couldn't resist pressing her fingers to her temple, barely biting back a noise of protest.

"Hey," his voice was gentle, full of concern and suddenly serious, as were his eyes. "You okay?" He half reached out his hand to touch her arm, but quickly drew it back to his side.

Dozens of replies ran through her head. In the end, she decided to fan the flames of her anger. "Why should you care?" she snapped, turning her gaze away from him. "You kidnapped me and tortured me to get me to talk. And you expect me not to be wary of you?" But to her surprise, in her peripheral vision, she saw him flinch sharply at her words.

She waited for him to leave her. But even after a minute, then two, passed, he stayed where he was. Then he broke the silence with a sigh.

"I don't know if you'll believe me when I say this, but, I never wanted to do any of that to you. I certainly didn't have a choice not to."

Despite herself, Raven was intrigued. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly, taking care to allow no hint of emotion lace her monotone.

It took him a moment to continue. "All I'll say is this: sometimes the Community is so blind that they can't see that what they're doing is the opposite of what they think they're doing. And when they get stuck on an idea, everyone has to go along with them."

Raven pondered over his words for a moment. What did he mean exactly with his carefully chosen words? But as a rather large group of children passed by on the path, such a strong pain cut into her head that her knees buckled beneath her and she let out a pained noise. To her embarrassment, the young man was quick to catch her with one hand behind her back and another around her waist. He eased her back against the huge trunk of the willow tree as she breathed heavily, strongly battling in her mind. As the pain intensified it took all her willpower not to lean on him as he squeezed her shoulder gently.

But eventually, she gathered herself again as the pain died away. She leaned her head back and sighed, slowly blinking her eyes open. She waited for him to tease her or make some remark of concern, but when he said nothing, she pulled her head up and turned to look at him.

She could only see a slight hint of concern hidden beneath the mischievous glint that had returned to his green eyes. "Come on," he said, as soon as she met his gaze. "Did you hear that bell?" (She didn't, of course.) "It's time for the Planting." He grinned and grabbed her hand, and before she could even blink, he tugged her out of the security of the willow tree and pulled her with him to where a huge crowd of people had congregated.

. .

"Welcome one and all to this year's Festival of Kufgra in the Community. We are glad that every one of you could make it here tonight to enjoy the beauty of nature. We hope that you have enjoyed your night so far, and we are excited to perform . . ."

"That's Clark!" the boy whispered to the girl beside him, knowing she had no idea who the handsome dark-haired man speaking was.

Raven nodded to indicate she heard him, not that it really helped her any, and studied the man standing in front of the fountain as he continued with his speech.

" . . . and as we all know, tonight is a special time to remember and make new memories. Everyone here is going to participate. Whether you are receiving a seed or helping another plant theirs, you are playing a part in these unique moments. And now I welcome to the floor: Miss Zatanna Zatara!"

Mostly glad that Clark's speech was quite short, Raven clapped politely as the many of the people in the crowd, including the strange teen beside her, showed their enthusiasm by shouting, cheering, or even letting out a piercing whistle. Raven resisted the urge to quirk an eyebrow at those people, especially when she saw "Miss Zatanna Zatara" for herself. She had to admit, Zatanna was very . . . attractive . . . to say the least. If Raven allowed herself to feel emotions, she surely would have felt at least a little awe and envy at the sight. She watched as Zatanna stepped forwards, demanding respect and silence from her audience.

"EVIG DETNAHCNE SDEES." As she spoke these words, Raven found that something had appeared in her hand, as well as a good majority of others in the crowd.

"Zatanna performs her magic by speaking her words backward," the boy explained, seeming to sense her confusion. "So her spell was to-"

"Give enchanted seeds," Raven finished. Opening her palm, she found a chocolate brown seed about the size of her thumbnail. She gazed at it, feeling the warm pulse of magic emanating from it, wondering just what the enchantment did to it.

Again seeming to know her thoughts, the young man answered her unasked question, slightly rambling. "These seeds are very special because they grow into a plant that shares characteristics with the one who planted it. Basically, it'll show your true character from what kind of plant it is and what its characteristics are, and it will grow and change to be an accurate representation of you. Often, people plant additional seeds at major points in their life to represent more drastic changes, at least in one aspect of their lives. Some people dedicate whole seeds to specific parts of their lives that are fundamental to who they are. I dunno how, but the leaders of the Community somehow determine who should get a seed or not." He shrugged. "You can't really petition for one, per say, but if you get one but don't want to plant it, you can politely decline. It's not really looked well upon, but usually, they're pretty chill with it." He grinned. "But this year I don't have one to worry about!" He showed her both his hands, palms up, proving they were empty.

She let the information sink in as she continued to blink at the seed, but after a few seconds looked up. "Soooo . . . Where do I plant this?"

The young man grinned again. "C'mon, I'll show you!" He looped his arm through hers and once again pulled her off through the crowd and the flickering light of the lanterns. "I know a nice secluded spot where I think you'll like to plant your seed."

They weaved through the throng and maneuvered themselves around the people for a few minutes, Raven mostly letting the enthusiastic teen take control. Luckily, he was skilled enough to make sure she didn't bump into anyone or lose her footing and trip.

Soon the crowd thinned. Most people were staying nearer to the center of the Garden, and few such as the young man leading her strayed to the edges. But then there was no one else, and he was still taking her farther. Even the lanterns were scarce in the area. They had slowed their pace to a comfortable walk, and Raven had caught her breath enough to begin speaking.

"Where exactly are we going?" she asked suspiciously. They walked by a trellis of ivy and the boy reached out a hand to brush against the leaves. He chuckled nervously.

"So, the place I'm going isn't . . . exactly . . . in the Garden." He finally let go of her arm to run a hand through his hair. "It's more like . . . at the edge of the Community."

"Is that allowed?" Raven asked slowly, quirking an eyebrow.

"I mean, it's not _forbidden_. It's just, 'not encouraged'. 'Cause they think that the Garden is the best place to plant the seeds and all other plants." He scratched the back of his neck.

"So, the Garden isn't safe for the plants?" she inquired as they passed by a small plot of bak-choy.

"Oh, no, it's definitely safe for all these plants." He nodded seriously as they turned a corner.

She tilted her head slightly. "But you said-"

"I said that the Garden wasn't the _best_ place for the plants, not that it wasn't the _safest_." He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "There's a difference, ya know."

Miffed at what she thought were his implications, she scowled. "I'm not stupid," she spat. "Or foolish. I've been through my share of contemplating meanings before."

He didn't reply but continued walking in silence. Strangely, Raven ( _felt_?) a twinge of guilt at her words, though she had no idea why. She felt that it would be best to simply listen to what he had to say.

"What did you mean when you said that the safest place isn't necessarily the best?" she asked quietly. She could barely see his face in the dim light as he answered slowly.

"Well, look at it this way. If there was, say, an oak tree, that we planted in the Garden, would it grow? Well, of course, it would, because the Gardeners would make sure to water it every day, make sure that there were enough nutrients in the soil, make sure that if it got sick they would nurse it back to health using the best treatments. And it would grow pretty big, and it would stay healthy. But because it was in the Garden, it could only grow so much. There's only a certain amount of room they would give it, and as soon as it breaks those boundaries they would force it back in. They would certainly cut its roots or chop off its branches to keep it contained, neat, orderly. It would grow, but not too much. It would forever be controlled by the Gardeners. Why was it able to grow? Because of the care of the Gardeners, we would say. Why does it look so beautiful? Because of the care of the Gardeners, we would say. Why does it look so neat and perfect? Because of the care of the Gardeners, we would say."

As he spoke, they walked alongside the houses of Community members, each in the shadow of the dim light from the lanterns. The street was silent as everyone else was in the Garden, even guards while Zatanna placed a temporary, but strong, protection spell over the Community. Raven studied the young man beside her, thinking over his words in her head.

"But what if that same tree had not been planted in the Community?" he continued. "Imagine if that sapling had come about in nature. If it was in the Woods. Would it grow there? We couldn't say for sure, but there is very likely will. Sure, there's always the dangers of living in the wild: bugs like termites could eat it away, a disease could rot it, lightning could strike it, a fire could burn it, it would have to compete for space and resources with other trees, something, or someone, could cut it down. But surviving these dangers makes it stronger. This tree would continue to grow and truly flourish. Its branches would fan out, all twisted, some covered with leaves and others sparse and bare. Its trunk would be gnarled and rough, but thick and strong. Its roots would spread across the ground, pushing deep into the dirt until it was inseparable from the earth. It would litter the ground with a blanket of leaves and a covering of shade. Why was it able to grow? Why does it look the way it does? Why is its beauty not in perfection and neatness (because it undeniably is beautiful)? Certainly not because of the Gardeners, or any of us. It's just the way it is. It sounds like circular reasoning, but it is. There is nothing controlling it but the force that controls nature. It is not beautiful because _we_ designed it that way. _This_ tree, it wouldn't be safe. But it would be _free_. It would be better. Because sometimes, freedom is better than safety."

He turned to the left, and they faced a wooden gate, towering above the both of them. There was no clear indication that the door was locked or unlocked, but Raven could tell it was definitely locked.

"How are we going to get in?" she asked.

The young man grinned and pulled out a keyring from his back pocket. "I've got keys." He shuffled the keys until he came upon a mundane silver key. He slid it into a keyhole that Raven hadn't noticed before, and it turned easily. "I haven't been here in-" He paused oddly and swallowed before continuing. "-years. But the magic-makers keep all the locks and gates and doors smooth and functioning." He pulled out the key and dropped the keyring back into his pocket. Then he pushed one of the huge gates open. Raven guessed that it was pretty heavy, because of its size, but he pushed it open effortlessly. "After you, milady." She raised an eyebrow but walked in as he winked with a great flourish of his arm and a bow. He walked in behind her and pulled the gate shut behind them. Walking in front of her, he led her to a much smaller wooden door along the inside of the fence, this one in a much greater state of disrepair.

"Definitely looms 'smooth and functioning'", she remarked dryly.

"No one really worries about this door," the teen explained, once again taking out his keys. He rifled through them until coming upon a small bronze one, which fit into the lock but took a bit of finagling to turn in the keyhole. After putting the keys away, he pushed open this door, which creaked and groaned with its rusty hinges.

It opened up to the forest, damp and dark, with a narrow dirt path going out from the door. The light only extended for a few feet before fading into the shadows to eventually become pitch black. Raven could feel the cool air blow towards them. She shivered slightly and crossed her arms over her torso.

"Is this safe?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at the sight.

The young man gave his own look back at her with an unspoken challenge in his eyes. "Would you rather it be?" He did not deny that it wasn't the safest thing to do, but then again, he had just talked about how sometimes freedom is better than safety.

She gave no answer, but her eyes said that she had no objections.

He seemed to read her expression since he moved on without a word. "I can navigate through the darkness fine," he began. He looked at Raven. "But I don't suppose you can as well." He crossed his arms as he faced her. "There's only room on the path for a single-file line. I'll have to go first. You'll probably have to hold onto me." At her displeased expression, he clarified his statement. "I meant, like, put your hand on my shoulder. That way you can keep on the path and I can make sure I'm not going too fast."

Though still wary, she nodded slowly. "Alright," she said quietly.

He turned towards the door and stepped through to the other side, waiting until she cautiously put her hand on his shoulder before moving on. As soon as they were a few yards away from the door they were in almost pitch-black darkness, the thick layer of trees blocking all but a faint glow of the moonlight. Even with someone guiding her, Raven had trouble walking in the dark, stumbling over pebbles and sticks and other things lying on the path. The young man could tell whenever she fumbled and slowed down or stopped accordingly, pausing to let her regain her balance before continuing. She marveled at how easily he seemed to be going along as she felt him stumble not a single time.

They continued along in relative silence, the sounds of nature surrounding them. Their footsteps scuffed the dirt quietly as the branches of the trees rustled in the breeze, and every time her foot hit something on the path, it strangely did not disturb the serene peace of forest but blended together into the harmony of ambient noises. As the young man spoke, his low voice weaved in between the murmur of the forest.

"There's a huge fallen tree across the path. It'll be some trouble trying to get over it," he said quietly.

"I can do it," she told him as they came to a stop, trying to imitate his tone as to not to break the calm atmosphere.

"Alright, this is what we'll do." Raven released his shoulder and let her hand fall to her side as he slipped forwards. She could hear his grunts as he did what she assumed was climbing on top of the tree trunk. "Okay, carefully reach in front of you until you feel the tree." She slowly extended her hand in front of her. When she felt the rough bark of the tree beneath her fingertips, she laid both hands on the tree more confidently. "Now, this trunk is pretty broad, so there should be room for me to help you up. I'm going to grab your hand now." Even as he warned her, she involuntarily flinched at the touch of his warm fingers against her wrist. She let him take hold of her and grabbed his wrist as he began to pull her up. Silently cursing at the outfit Kori had forced her to wear- a long-sleeved, royal purple, velvet, maxi dress- she held up her skirt with her free hand and eventually found purchase against the trunk with her flats, allowing her to climb up it to the top. As he stood before her, she could feel the warmth emanating from him. Once he was sure she found her balance, he relaxed his grip on her. She heard him jump to the ground, his hand sliding from her wrist to her fingertips. "It should be okay for you to jump down," he said to her, reaching up to fully grab her hand. He gripped her tightly as she hopped down, making sure she kept her balance.

"It should be right up ahead," he told her. "You good?"

"I am," she nodded.

"Good. It's not much longer," he repeated. Raven reached back up to hold onto his shoulder with her free hand as he turned around to keep going, all the while painfully aware of his continued grip on her other hand. He didn't seem to notice, though, and continued along just as before, scouting the path for obstacles so they wouldn't stumble. After a few minutes, (not that Raven was counting the exact number of seconds, which happened to be 205,) he finally released his hold, and they came to a stop.

"This is it," he said. Raven let go of his shoulder, straining in the darkness to see anything. She could only make out the vague shadows of the forest around them, however.

"Wanna go in first, or should I?" he asked.

"Um, you can go first," Raven responded.

"Alright," he said. "Just come in right after me." And she watched him pass forwards into the darkness.

After a few seconds, she carefully inched forwards, reaching out her hands in front of her. She came upon what seemed to be a curtain of vines, she figured out, by running her hands all over it. She gently parted the curtain and stepped through to the other side.

A faint light began to glow softly all around her. Raven blinked to get adjusted to it as it grew brighter and brighter until it filled the whole area with light, almost as bright as the sun.

The woods looked much different in the light. Lush green grass was carpeting the gently sloping ground, covered with various small plants and flowers. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. In the center of the area were two trees. One had pale, almost white bark, its thick trunk splitting off into various branches which eventually split themselves into more thin but tough branches that fanned out for a wide radius. Its leaves were a pale golden yellow that shone and shimmered as they rustled in the breeze. Bright blue flowers with large petals were scattered among the leaves. The other tree's bark was of a similar shade to that of the first but was smoother. The branches were thinner and more delicate, though not frail. The leaves of this tree were dark brown and broader than the other tree's but glittered and sparkled as small deep blue flowers intermingled with them. The two trees intertwined together from the base, the trunks circling around each other and the branches tangling together until it looked almost as if it was one body, making it difficult for Raven to pick out the distinct characteristics of each tree. Drawing nearer, she first realized that the golden yellow leaves were actually shining and providing the light filling the area. She also picked out a wild and fresh smell, distinguishing two main scents making it up, though she couldn't describe them exactly. She saw clusters of light pink berries that she had not noticed before also scattered among the branches with the darker leaves.

The young man was standing beneath the trees and beckoned her to come to join him. She walked forwards slowly, taking in the beauty of the interconnected trees and soaking in the atmosphere of nature. She eventually came to stand next to him as he leaned back against a small part of the huge trunk made up of the two together. She watched him close his eyes and breathe deeply a few times before he spoke.

"Well, what do you think?" he asked, his voice rough and low. He looked directly at her so she could see how his blue eyes shined and glistened. She took in his rumpled, tieless blue-violet dress shirt with his sleeves rolled up, and loose slacks over scuffed black shoes. He ran a hand through his already ruffled hair.

"It's beautiful," she replied, reaching up to brush a finger against one of the dark brown leaves. "It feels like the very essence of nature is here."

He nodded slowly, taking a moment to think. "These trees were planted by-" He paused and cleared his throat. "Two people I knew. They were great lovers of nature and wildlife. Their trees show that because this place is a safe haven for all animals who need it." He gestured up at the branches above them. "I know of countless families of birds nesting up there." He pointed to the trunk. "And plenty of small animals take refuge in here." He brought her attention to a fox poking its head through the vine curtain before limping into the area. It picked up some pink berries and carefully chewed them, juice dripping down to the grass. After a moment, it bounded closer to the base of the tree. "The fruit of these trees have special healing powers, to aid any animals who are injured." The fox trotted up to him, and he bent down to stroke its head. "This whole place is a welcoming, inviting shelter for animals to stay and rest temporarily, without fear of being hunted or the exertion of hunting. Lots of animals love to visit here."

As he spoke, Raven became keenly aware of all the life abounding nearby. She heard the birds whistling and chirping softly from high above her, she heard the chattering of squirrels in the tree, and she spied more animals than just the fox coming by. Rabbits and deer and raccoons all came around, and she even saw glimpses of wolves and bears. An owl swooped by, hooting lowly. Looking down, she saw the fox coming up to her, and she reached down to stroke its fur.

"This is amazing," she commented to the young man, who came around her other side.

He nodded. Then he exhaled slowly. "It's time to plant your seed."

She stood up to face him. "In here?" She looked self-conscious. "This is such a beautiful, untouched place. I don't think I should-"

"I insist," he cut her off. "You'll belong perfectly in here. Besides, this is where _I_ planted my tree."

"Really?" Raven subconsciously took out her seed from where she had placed it in her sash and rolled it in one hand.

"Yeah," he answered. "Wanna see?" He led her around the center tree.

His tree was already flourishing greatly, more than twice as high as either of them with a solid trunk and strong branches. Nevertheless, it still paled in comparison to the great two-part tree in the middle of the area, not even making up half of its entirety. The majority of the tree bark was a tropical green color with slightly darker leaves. However, looking more closely, she could see it had some resemblance to the main tree: underneath the green, its bark was basically the same shade as the big tree, with leaves more orangey-yellow scattered among the green, rosy pink berries, and cyan flowers. Even looking at it more, she was beginning to see recognizable shapes made by the natural texture of the tree bark that she just couldn't put her finger on, and she was close to figuring out what they were when he spoke again.

"Well, that's my tree. Now it's time to plant yours." She turned to face him, tearing her eyes away from the pattern of the bark. "Choose anywhere you want." He gestured all around them, sweeping his hand back and forth.

Raven bit her lip nervously as she looked around. Slowly, she walked around the edge of the clearing as the young man followed behind her. Eventually, she stopped, directly opposite his tree. The ground was generally flat, and the grass was not interrupted by flowers or stones. Without a word, she knelt down, carefully minding her dress (if something happened to it, who knows how Kori would react!) He knelt beside her and brought out a small spade he had somehow concealed on his person. She took it and began to turn over the earth, soft and moist and full of nutrients. He allowed her to do it on her own, not interfering but simply spectating her. Once she had dug a satisfactory hole, she gingerly placed the small seed inside it and covered it back up with dirt. The young man then pulled out a water bottle (where did he put that?), which she used to lightly water the ground there.

Once she was done, Raven almost felt a sense of both peace and accomplishment. As the young man helped her up, the place seemed much more sacred and special to her personally. He allowed her to stand there for a moment, taking it all in, before he lightly touched her shoulder. "We should be heading back," he murmured.

Raven nodded, and the two of them passed back through the curtain of vines and headed back down the path in a similar fashion as before, the light fading at their departure.

. .

They were outside Kori's dwelling. Raven was reluctant to go inside before he left, but he seemed reluctant to leave before she went in. They stood in awkward silence for a minute, avoiding each other's eyes in the dim light. Eventually, she forced herself to break the silence.

"I should go in now," she whispered.

He nodded. "Yeah," he replied quietly.

They both remained where they were once more until Raven once again took action.

"Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Raven paused before continuing. "And . . . Thank you for tonight." Somehow she had started the night with resentment and distrust towards him, but ended it with gratitude and friendship? How did this even happen? Mulling over her thoughts, she opened the door and walked inside, moving to shut it when he abruptly said more.

"Hey, Raven?"

The door began to close as she looked at him, taking note that this was the first time he had addressed her by her name. His eyes were bright and his smile genuine as he spoke.

"My name is Garfield." The door swung shut.

. . .

The people of Azarath were quiet as they worked. The small, obscure village was full of people, but not important enough to make it onto any map or be mentioned in any conversation. And it was the perfect place to hide a very special child.

Raven, now five years old, was silently watching Azar as she made furrows in the small plot of land with a trowel. Azar spoke quietly to the young girl as she worked.

"The planting season is a special time, Raven," she said. "It is a time of new beginnings. A time of hope." As she focused on the last indentation, she missed the frown that flitted over the girl's features.

"I want you to do something for me," she told her, straightening from her work. Raven listened with rapt attention.

Azar pulled something out of a pocket in her loose robe and motioned for Raven to extend an open palm. She did so, and Azar dropped the item in, noticing how Raven shivered at the minuscule brush of her fingers against her skin. Raven scrutinized the item.

"It is a seed," Azar explained. "And I want you to plant it." Raven looked up at the woman who was old in the sense that she was wise far beyond her years. "Choose anywhere you like, Raven."

The little girl slowly rose from her cross-legged position, all the while looking at the seed in her hand. Then she meandered throughout the front yard until she came right to the front door of Azar's dwelling. She moved over to the side, underneath the window, and knelt down before scraping apart the soft dirt with her hands. Azar watched her as she dropped the seed in and filled in the hole. The girl walked back to the garden, and when she returned she was holding a watering can. Unsteadily, she tipped it and let the water flow out to further moisten the earth. When she was done, she put the watering can back in its place and returned to Azar.

Azar regarded the silent child, looking down at her. "This is the time to plant," she reiterated. "And you are a part of it now."

Raven's voice was quiet and gravely from lack of use. "A part of what?" she murmured.

Azar knelt down before her to be at her eye level. "That is what you decide, Raven. You decide what you will be a part of. You are in control. Just as you are responsible for the care of the seed you just planted, you are responsible for your own life."

Though Azar's speech was not intended in a foreboding way, young Raven felt each word weigh her down with a burden that she would carry for all her years.

. . .

This chapter ended up way longer than I intended it to. I guess that the end blurb is really short to compensate for that?

Any reviews would be much appreciated. Who do you think that the two trees belong to? What do you think the pattern(s) of the tree bark of Garfield's tree was (were)? You can answer these questions, ask your own, speculate, or make any comments in general. I will appreciate every single one.

I hope you liked your bit of RobStar fluff in the beginning, for those of you who are fans!

 **EDIT: RE-UPLOADED CHAPTERS 1-5 WITH FIXES AND SMALL ADDITIONS.**

ITNOJ- SHB 😉


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